California Assembly: Who’s in and who’s out for the most powerful posts
LA Times, MACKENZIE MAYS: "California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) announced new legislative leadership on Tuesday, a key decision in his first year as leader of the lower house that could shape what becomes law in the nation’s most populous state.
Among the most significant changes is the announcement of a new majority leader: Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Davis). She replaces Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) who was a top lieutenant to Rivas in his contentious yearlong battle to become speaker that ended when he was sworn in this summer. Bryan now takes over as chair of the Natural Resources committee, a key panel on environmental policy."
Israel, Hamas agree to temporary cease-fire to free 50 hostages
LA Times, JEFFREY FLEISHMAN, LAURA KING, NABIH BULOS, TRACY WILKINSON: "Israel and Hamas said they have agreed on a temporary truce that would suspend their 47-day war to allow the release of 50 women and children kidnapped by Hamas in exchange for a group of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. n
The move calls for a pause in fighting in a war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and — according to tallies from each side — has killed more than 14,270 people, mostly Palestinians. Ten hostages will be released on each day of the truce, Israeli officials said."
For California leaders, calls for ceasefire in Gaza war grow more difficult to ignore
CALMatters, SAMEEA KAMAL: "In the aftermath of the brutal Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 taken hostage, California officials swooped into action.
Gov. Gavin Newsom booked a last-minute flight to Israel on his way to China because, his team said, California is home to the largest Arab American population and the second-largest Jewish community in the U.S. In Israel, he met with government officials and the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a Californian being held hostage."
New RSV shot for babies faces Bay Area shortage amid ‘unprecedented’ demand
The Chronicle, CATHERINE HO: "When federal regulators in July approved the first long-lasting shot to protect infants against respiratory syncytial virus, the leading cause of hospitalization for U.S. children under age one, Bay Area pediatrician Dr. Nelson Branco was thrilled.
His practice, which has offices in Marin County, ordered doses and sent an alert through its patient portal letting parents know about the shot. The majority of those with babies eligible to receive the treatment — about 150 out of 200 — expressed interest in getting their child immunized."
How UC is navigating the complicated response to the Israel-Hamas war
EdSource, MICHAEL BURKE, MALLIKA SESHADRI: "Students on California campuses are fearful and upset six weeks into the Israel-Hamas war, with Islamophobia and antisemitism on the rise at colleges across the country.
The climate across the University of California system is especially tense and has students feeling unsafe, forcing system officials to navigate a delicate issue that is painful for many on its 10 campuses."
What is arts integration? Q&A with Mike Stone
EdSource, KAREN D'SOUZA: "Maverick American maestro Leonard Bernstein once said that “a work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers.”
That power to cultivate critical thinking is part of why Bernstein was a champion of arts integration, an innovative approach many educators are exploring these days as a creative way to amplify student learning amid an era of steep learning loss."
Sam Altman to be reinstated as head of OpenAI just days after his firing
AP, MATT O'BRIEN: "Sam Altman, the ousted leader of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, is returning to the company that fired him late last week, culminating a days-long power struggle that shocked the tech industry and brought attention to the conflicts around how to safely build artificial intelligence.
San Francisco-based OpenAI said in a statement late Tuesday: “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board.”"
Palo Alto: Former cop pleads guilty in excessive force case that prompted department LGBTQ training
BANG*Mercury News, ROBERT SALONGA: "Less than a week from the start of trial, a former Palo Alto police officer pleaded guilty to excessive force charges in the 2018 arrest of a gay man whose subsequent lawsuit, and the release of incriminating video, prompted a half-million dollar settlement and mandatory LGBTQ sensitivity training for the police agency.
Wayne Benitez, 66, entered the plea Tuesday afternoon at the Palo Alto courthouse, in accordance with a court offer from Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Brian Buckelew. The admitted charges are misdemeanor counts of assault under color of authority and lying on a police report.
Benitez, who retired from the police department amid the fallout from the violent arrest, was ordered to serve 750 hours of community service and complete court-ordered anger management and LGBTQ sensitivity training."
Berkeley approves increased height limits near campus to ease UC student housing crunch
The Chronicle, SARAH RAVANI: "The city of Berkeley will now allow taller buildings in a densely populated neighborhood adjoining the UC Berkeley campus — a major win to address the university’s student housing crunch.
The Berkeley City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to change its zoning laws to permit buildings as high as 12 stories in the Southside area below the campus. The proposed modifications — which also relax some open space requirements — will allow for an additional 2,652 residential units in neighborhoods bounded by Bancroft Way, Prospect Street, Dwight Way and Fulton Street.
Underpass lot below Interstate 10 failed inspection months before fire
LA Times, RACHEL URANGA: "The piles of wooden pallets stored with combustible liquids under Interstate 10 had been troubling Caltrans and state fire officials for at least three years before the materials went up in flames this month and caused the closure of one of Los Angeles’ busiest freeways for more than a week, documents newly released from Caltrans show.
The fire is now being investigated as arson. It also put a spotlight on the little-known $34.6-million Caltrans lease program that allows private companies to rent out space underneath and next to freeways. Standing atop the Santa Monica Freeway early Sunday morning, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he expects to have on Wednesday an early statewide assessment of the program, which has more than 600 leases."
Thanksgiving travel to set records; here’s how to avoid the worst in the Bay Area
The Chronicle, MICHAEL CABANATUAN: "Air travelers are expected to break records for passenger volume nationwide this Thanksgiving holiday season, according to federal officials — though in the Bay Area, the peak travel day has already come and gone.
Thanksgiving once induced a traveling frenzy a day or two before the family feeding frenzy on Thursday. But this year at San Francisco International Airport, the busiest travel day was last Friday, when about 150,000 traveled in or out of SFO, Northern California’s biggest and busiest airport, according to airport spokesperson Doug Yakel."
Robin Williams improvised so much of ‘Mrs. Doubtfire,’ they shot 2 million feet of film
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "Robin Williams’ relentless improvisation required the makers of the 1993 comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire,” to shoot more than 2 million feet of film, according to a recent interview with director Chris Columbus for the movie’s 30th anniversary.
“Early on in the process, he went to me, ‘Hey boss, the way I like to work, if you’re up for it, is I’ll give you three or four scripted takes, and then let’s play,’” Columbus told Business Insider about working with Williams. “By saying that, what he meant was he wanted to improvise. And that’s exactly how we shot every scene. We would have exactly what was scripted, and then Robin would go off and it was something to behold.”"
